There is true class on show in Carlow
THERE will be plenty of romance in O’Moore Park this evening when Carlow face the All-Ireland champions. But it won’t take long for the grim reality to intrude. There is no chance of an upset in Portlaoise.
Nonetheless, the novelty of this fixture gets the pulse racing and it is a contest that could never happen in the National League. It’s been said a lot this past two weeks but it really is such a shame that the Leinster Council didn’t fix this match for Dr Cullen Park. It would have added to the sense of occasion, enhanced the carnival atmosphere and done wonders for the promotion of Gaelic football in Carlow. Pity.
Two very different worlds collide in Portlaoise. Carlow usually play two Championship games a year, three if they are lucky. Dublin played seven last year alone on their way to the All-Ireland title. Having worked with Turlough O’Brien, I have seen the Carlow players up close, and they do have some magnificent footballers which hopefully everyone will see tonight.
Having worked with Paul Broderick and Brendan Murphy at close quarters, I believe that if those players were afforded the opportunity to play seven Championship games a year, and if they had all the resources that Dublin have to improve and develop their game, I have no doubt that Jim Gavin would find a place for them in his team. They are that good.
Unfortunately, competing in Division 4 year-in and year-out is little motivation for players. They are going to grounds with a couple of hundred people in attendance, with a team-sheet typed hurriedly on one page. As I said, different worlds.
For Carlow, the mission is twofold tonight. They have to stay in the game as long as they can. The longer they remain in it, the more their confidence will grow. However, the bleak reality is that they will have to stop Dublin blowing them out of the water in the first few minutes.
That may mean bringing a lot of people back but I just hope they leave Broderick and Darragh Foley as inside-forwards, rather than have them in the full-back line.
The primary aim for Turlough and his players will be to not to ship such a heavy trouncing that it completely destroys the confidence gained from beating Wexford. If they go into the qualifiers in a good frame of mind, they might even win one or two back-door games. And five Championship games in a summer will be a sign of real progress for Carlow and will set them up nicely for a tilt at promotion next spring. It will also mean when the Carlow players return to training next winter, they will be doing so with a spring in their step, rather than just going through the motions. Dublin are likely to be rusty, particularly in the opening minutes. And the League final defeat to Kerry will have sharpened focus for Jim Gavin and will have sorted out any issues with hunger in his squad. But I have little doubt that privately, Gavin is smiling that the unbeaten record is over. With each game, it was adding unneeded pressure on his players.
It is never Gavin’s target for his team to be reaching peak performance levels in June, though. The early summer is about shifting through the gears for Dublin — the facile nature of the Leinster Championship allows for that. There will be some fringe players used this evening and they know if they make an impression, they can establish themselves as John Small did last year and Brian Fenton in 2015.
From Gavin’s point of view, he will be looking for a midfield foil for Fenton, especially as Michael Darragh Macauley is out with a knee injury. True, Macauley wasn’t on the first XV last summer but he made a dramatic impact when he came on against Mayo.
Fenton was under the radar when he burst onto the scene but judging by the manner in which Kerry nullified him in the League final, he is becoming more predictable to teams now. It will be interesting to see what Gavin does around the middle third.
There’s a suggestion that he may move James McCarthy there. He certainly has the athleticism for that role but Dublin struggled in defence last summer when he was absent and Gavin ended up putting Ciarán Kilkenny back there to compensate for his loss.
Kilkenny is another option around the middle, as is Paul Flynn. It will be just one intriguing aspect of what is a defining year for this Dublin team. If they do manage to complete a threein-a-row, it will be incredible for modern-day football, an even greater achievement than Kerry’s four in a row.
They will have to jump quite a few hurdles before they get there. And there will be a few that could trip them up. One of them won’t be in Portlaoise tonight, where I just hope those Carlow players put their chest out, enjoy the occasion and show the nation that there are some decent footballers in that county.